Three Stages in the Social Construction of Virtual Learning Environments

Background: Small Schools In Rural Communities

In almost every society there are families who live beyond major centres of population. In Australia (Henry, 1989; Jarvis, 1990; Stevens, 2007), New Zealand (Starkey & Stevens, 2006; Stevens, 1999b; 1994) and Canada (Healey & Stevens, 2002; Stevens, 1999a; Tucker & Stevens, 1999) access to educational opportunities by students, particularly those in rural high schools, has been a long-standing policy issue. In Australia, for example, the federal government has sought answers why young people from rural areas of that country enter universities and other institutions of higher learning in proportionally fewer numbers than their urban counterparts (Abbott-Chapman, 2001; Commonwealth Schools Commission, 1988; Goulding, 2001; James, et.al., Stewart, 2003). It has been common for rural high school students to either board at urban residential schools or be bussed to larger institutions where they can be taught by specialist teachers (Baker & Andrews, 1991). The development of rural school intranets has transformed many schools located in rural communities that are physically small in terms of the number of students who attend them, in person, on a daily basis, but, through the introduction of internet-based e-learning partnerships, have become larger and more comprehensive educational institutions based on the enhanced range of teaching and learning they can provide.